'We're not scared of the far-right': Shopkeepers thank Northampton community for their unity and support against thugs
Shopkeepers in Northampton have expressed relief and gratitude this morning after peaceful counter-protesters deterred a planned far-right rally.
Hundreds of counter-protesters gathered peacefully around 7pm at the junction of Kettering Road and Clare Street in Northampton last night (Wednesday).
Dozens of locations were singled-out earlier this week as information spread across social media that far-right groups would meet at 8pm last night.
A location on the Kettering Road was the place where masked thugs threatened to turn up to protest.
Instead, hundreds of peaceful counter protesters took to the streets to defend their community, and the far-right did not show up.
Chronicle and Echo returned to Kettering Road this morning (Thursday) to speak with shopkeepers. The street was returning to normal at 9:45am. While many shops were still boarded up from the night before, others were opening for business, relieved that their livelihoods were not damaged.
Khaled, a shopkeeper, expressed his relief: “We’re feeling good, happy. We’re just opening the shop now. Everything is fine. Yesterday, it was kind of scary. We were here last night until 9:30pm; everything was fine. A lot of people came to support us [counter-protesters], we appreciate them, we want to say thank you to everyone who came to support. Standing up to racist people makes me feel great. We’re happy. We’re back to business. Back to normal.”
Naz Islam, owner of Saffron on St Giles Street, was helping his friend set up his shop stall for the morning. He commented: “The town centre was deserted. All my staff weren’t sure what to do...our lives were under threat.
"We have been here in Northampton all our lives; most of my staff were born and bred here. We’re not scared, we’re not going to run away. It was uncertain last night what was going to happen.
"I thought the counter protest was a great gathering and a time of unity for Northampton, showing that we’re not scared of the EDL.
"Kettering Road looks normal this morning. People are getting on with their normal lives, and it’s good to see. It’s fantastic. The shops and businesses are so important to the economy – a lot of money was lost yesterday.
"We welcome all parts of the world to come to Northampton and make it a united Northampton.”
Luke, manager of Cycle King, added: “We were getting plans in place early yesterday morning. We were staying vigilant. As soon as the police told us the protests/riots might happen earlier, we decided to close around midday. We were watching on the security cameras last night; everything was fine. We were out of business for half a day. But overall, we’re really glad nothing happened.”
Sonu Saji, a shop worker at Kana Asian Supermarket, said: “I’m happy. My shop is okay. Nothing happened. No problems, no issues. Everyone is safe, so I’m so happy. Here in Northampton, it’s normally peaceful, and it’s peaceful this morning.”
Yumas takeaway said on Instagram: “Proud to be from Northampton. This [counter-protest] was incredible to see.”
In the wake of the threats of violence, many members of the public and shopkeepers have taken time out of their day to thank police officers on social media.